Cuddles with Santa

      It's Christmas Day and, in case you haven't seen my Christmas Greeting to all, just scroll down one post. 

     I'm also sharing this card today because I'm way too far behind on posting the cards I've made over the last 2 weeks!  This one is another collaboration with my SIL, Lainy, where she's done the coloring and I've turned it into a card.  She was still coloring images for Christmas cards yesterday!  Of course, we both put off a good share of our gift wrapping efforts until yesterday so last minute cards were almost to be expected.  :-D

     This is another clip art image and this one was AI generated.  I've joined a FB group of very talented people who create AI images based on requests from people all over the internet.  They are free for personal use.  I'll share more about that group (including a link to the site) in my next post.  Today, time is short and I need to get this post finished before the dinner bell rings at my house.  :-D

     Lainy colored this image with colored pencils and, once finished, I cut it with a Tonic Studios die.  I inked the edges using a red marker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a QuicKutz die, and I used the same marker to ink the edges of it.  The background dp came from an old (very, very old!) K & Co. stack.  The red and the green candy cane embellishments were cut with a hand punch but it has no company name on it so I can't tell you who made it.  I've had it for a good many years and it's a favorite of mine during the Christmas season.  I added a single wrap of green ribbon around the bottom of the front flap.

     Challenges:

4 Season

Craftlandia

Cutie Pie

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Girlz Creative Fun

Outlawz Monday

Rudolph Days

     Make your Christmas as merry as possible!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gnome for Christmas

      It's the day for a new challenge over at FarmQuest Country Christmas where our theme is always "Anything Country Christmas Goes."  We want to see outdoor Christmas scenes or decorations on the farmhouse, or nearly anything that is both Christmas and outdoorsy, but not big city streets or shopping malls or cityscapes.  

     I chose this clip art image with three gnomes on the Christmas Tree Farm.  I don't know the artist but if you do, please let me know.  I love to give proper credit where possible.  I colored the image with my Sanjoki markers, added highlights to their beards with a white gel pen, and cut the image with an old QuicKutz die.  I love the shape of it.  I inked the edges in red, then layered it onto a background of glittery, golden holly leaves.  That CS came from Paper Studios and the dp strip along the right hand side is a scrap from a DCWV stack.

     The glittery golden bow is from K & Co. and I thought it added exactly the proper amount of sparkle and glitz.  I admit, when it's Christmas, glitter is my absolute favorite and when it's combined with gold, that takes it over the top!  The sparkle adds so much to the festive feel of the holiday.  :-D

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aloha Friday

Colorful Options

Crafty Catz

Creative Inspiration

Digi Choosday

Kerst / Christmas

Outlawz Friday

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in this challenge.  Just create something that celebrates both country and Christmas and you're in!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"V" for Vintage Victorian Christmas

      Today I'm sharing my "V" card for the 30 Days of Holidays over at Beccy's Place and it's another of my collaboration cards with my SIL.  She colored this clip art image and used watercolor pencils after I had printed it in gray scale.  She loves the coloring part but I haven't yet gotten her into the card making side, so she colors and I create the cards.

     For this card, my "V"s are: Vintage, Victorian, Verdigris green, Vermillion red on the berries, and white Velvet on one layer of the snowflake.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then did a white mat, inked with a vermillion marker on the edges.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die and those edges were also inked.  

     The background is a scrap of dp from DCWV (!) and the snowflake was made with Cottage Cuts dies.  I put the two layers together and added a touch of glitter and a rhinestone for sparkle.  The final embellishment was the row of flat-back pearls.  A Victorian card seemed to call for sparkle and gems and a fair amount of embellishment.

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Digi Choosday

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Friday

Outlawz Thurs (Dickens' Christmas Carol)

Polkadoodles

Rudolph Days

Simon Says Stamp

     That's all for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

All I Want for Christmas

      I adore this latest image for the FB Progressive Challenge at Moondrea Designs.  The image is named "Summer" but I wanted her for a Christmas card so I gave her long sleeves, colored her in traditional red and green using my Ohuhu markers, and added a Christmas sentiment.  

     Once colored, I cut the image, and the dark green mat framing it, with Tonic Studio dies.  I added green Stickles to her earrings, and little drops of gold Liquid Pearls to the flower centers.  The background dp was stamped with Versamark on a large, decorative stamp, then heat embossed with gold EP.  I think she made a delightful & feminine Christmas card.  :-D

     Challenges:

Holly & Ivy

Lil Patch of ...

Pammie's IP

Peace on Earth

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Frightful Raven

      I have my first Halloween card for the year to share with you today.  Somehow, I got things out of order in my card making.  I've been focused on Thanksgiving cards and have most of those done already and then it struck me that Halloween is next month and Thanksgiving the month after that so I got busy and made my first two Halloween cards yesterday.

     I have 12 more Halloween images colored and ready but they haven't been turned into cards yet.  Later this week, probably, and certainly over the weekend so that I have more of them to share with you early next week.

     I chose this image from Beccy's Place, colored it with my newest Ohuhu alcohol markers, then cut it with a Spellbinders die.  I inked the edges with a marker and mounted the printed and cut sentiment (also Beccy's Place and a Tonic Studios die to cut it) onto the image piece.  The background CS is embossed with glitter EP and it says "Boo" in half a dozen different fonts and sizes.  I think that's from a DCWV stack.  No embellishment beyond the embossing because it was perfect the way it was.

     Challenges:

Critter Crazy

Digi Choosday

Halloween  AYR

Pammie's IP

SheepSki Designs

Triple B

Two Old Bats

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Windmill and Pumphouse

      It's the 14th of the month and we have another of our 'Country' challenges starting today at FarmQuest.  Our theme this fortnight is "Farm Equipment, Windmills, Wishing Wells."

     When you live out in the country or on the farm, life goes along at a different pace.  There are always things which must be done and life isn't always as easy as jumping in the car and running to the grocery store for a half gallon of milk or a pound of butter.  Even having clear, cool water sometimes means keeping the windmill in good repair and updating the water pump every few years.  The ones I used on my card today have seen better days and have most likely been replaced altogether.

     I printed the image in grayscale, then colored it with pale yellow and pale brown pencils.  I cut the image with a die from Tonic Studios and inked the edges with a marker.  The background dp came from an old Recollections stack and was a scrap in the basket.  The sentiment was printed, cut with an Avery Elle die, edges inked, then adhered to the card front.

     Challenges:

     Come play with us and impress us with your creations.  We love seeing what you make.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

New Way to Roller Skate

      My daughter called and asked me to make a Get Well card for a neighbor of hers who fell while roller skating with her grandkids.  She has a serious hip break and it'll take a while for her to heal up completely.   Much as I would love to take credit for the sentiment, when my daughter saw this image in my collection, she suggested a reference to roller skating.  lol

      The image is from QKR Stampede and I colored it with ProMarkers & water color pencils.  I cut the image with a stitched die from Memory Box, and I inked the edges of it before adhering it to the background.  The background piece was cut and embossed with a plate die from Poppystamps.  I inked the edges of that so that I had little pops of red in the image, around the cut image, and around the edge of the background.  I did the same with the sentiment which I printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  Inside it has a simple, "Get Well Soon."

     Challenges:

Can You Handle ...

Crafts Galore Encore

Crafty Calendar

Do Al(l) Kreatives

Gem of a Challenge

Incy Wincy 

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

Sheepski Designs

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Mom & Apple Pie

      Oh, my, how can it be the 7th of May already?  This year is going by way too fast!  Well, in any case, it being the 7th of another month, I have two posts today; one for FarmQuest General Store (this one) and in a few minutes, a second one for FQ Country Christmas.

     Here at FQGS, we are always sponsored by QKR Stampede, and the prize is the three images used by the DT for the challenge.  For today's card, I used a darling little "Raggedy Ann" type image, called "Fresh Baked Pie."  The image was reversed before printing.

     I colored the image with watercolors and gel pens, then cut it with one of my oldest Spellbinders dies.  I inked the edges of the image, the sentiment, and the background dp with a pink ProMarker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I found some delightful plaid dp for the background (Recollections, I think) and added a strip of burgundy ribbon for the wrap around and the hand tied bow.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Creatalicious

Creations in Pink

Digi Choosday

Let's Craft & Create

Pammie's IP

Star Stampz

     Come play with us this fortnight.  Remember, all you need is a card with a 'country' element (mine are plaid paper, home-baked pie, and a hand-sewn doll image!)  Beyond the country aspect, it's Anything Goes!

  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Blue Princess

      This is my first time playing along in the Rabisco Progressive Challenge, which can be found on Facebook.  They have a new image from Moondrea Designs every month which you can get free if you played along the previous month.

     I loved the image for April which looked to me like a princess although it's titled "Sunflower Maiden."  To my mind, she was begging to be done in monochromatic shades of aqua.  I printed the image and used my Sanjoki markers to color both it and the square behind the image.  I added the sentiment before printing, then cut it with a Tonic Studios die just slightly larger than the image.  That gave it a white frame and kept the sentiment as a single piece with the image.  I inked the edges of that piece before putting it on the card.

     I used turquoise CS for the card base, added a narrow strip of dp (DCWV), and put a tiny, enamel dot on her forehead.  

     Challenges:

Crafter's Cafe

Cupcake Inspirations

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz SAR (spring & flowers)

Pammie's IP

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Causing a Racket !

      I love this fun image from Scrapper's Delights, given to all who play in their Progressive Challenge this month.  What a great card she makes for a tennis fan!

     I colored with ProMarkers, cut her with a QuicKutz die, inked the edges, then found some wonderful Recollections dp scattered with stars.  The sheer and satin ribbon was perfect for wrapping the card front and tying a bow.  I kept it very simple because it's going to be mailed to a friend.

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Sentiments

Creative Inspirations

Cute Card Thurs

Lemon Shortbread

Paper Shelter

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Polkadoodles

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Flour" Children

      This is my second DT card for April and this one is for the new challenge starting today at Jan's Digi Stamps.  I've used one of the pre-colored images from the new "Flour Child" set, released on April 1.  I chose a pre-colored image this time because it saved me half a day of  'color - take a break - color - take a break' etc.  Thank you, Jan, for such gorgeous coloring!

     I knew it was going to have to be a relatively CAS design because my activity/energy time is still pretty limited but I did die cut the image and water color a scrap as a background piece.

Pre-colored image

Cut w Unbranded die

Water colored scrap

Blue CS scrap

All edges inked w ink pad

     Challenges:

A Bit More Time...

Cardz TV

Crafter's Cafe

Creative Fingers

Dare 2B Artzy

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Paperbabe Stamps

Scrapping4Fun

Taylormade...

     I hope we're going to see you playing along with us this month.  Remember, our theme is always Anything Goes and we have pries for both those who use a Jan's Digi Stamps image and those who use something else so you can win either way.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie